Religion. Does religion have any relevance whatsoever in current society? It’s one of those topics some or most people may not necessarily agree to but let me break it down so you have a better understanding of what I’m trying to say but let you decide for yourself.

Religion. Some may not have even ever given it a second thought, some may encounter it every day as an absolute necessity to their everyday life, some may anticipate it once or twice a week but the truth of the matter is we have seen it with our own eyes. We’ve seen the effect religion has on individuals, whether you’re an atheist, definite theist or even perhaps somewhere in between as an agnostic. We have seen the measures taken by these individuals to proclaim their faith, their identity and the belief that what they’re doing is the righteous way. You may instantly think of terrorism and other negative examples forgetting the grace it can also bring to this world, charities… human rights… they all somehow link to religion that we don’t always recognize.

So, is it actually needed in today’s world, moreover the modern culture?

One may argue yes, it is absolutely essential for people to follow and have some sort of structure to their life whilst other may say those with good morals will take good actions, achieve good things themselves without having to follow set of commandments or rules.

The terror brought by the 9/11 attack and the mass amount of loss that came with it, people understandably desired for a quick and simple answer to rest their mind at, just something to explain the unexplainable of how and why someone came up with this great deed. Since the findings of Osama Bin Laden and his blessed followers who carried out the attack, of course the blame was to be put on Islam. Of course people were to prejudge all Muslims to be ‘terrorists’. Of course the media was to declare Islam as the prime reason behind the foray. Absurd? Absolutely. So by targeting a whole community through the actions of one or two out of the bulk, where exactly is the logic?
You’re probably thinking why does this point I just made have anything to do with the topic and what I’m trying to say is that by religion being a part of global community and despite Islam being always avowed for the terror that occurs, perhaps if there was no such thing as religion and this creed, just perhaps the world possibly may have even been a greater place to live. I mean, the devotees of Al Qaeda may have solely been judged on their own actions rather than allowing all these other innocent Muslims especially American Muslims to have lived in fear for years after the attack. It just seems so ludicrous and unfair. In some aspects therefore, I do think that religion can contribute to one being found at fault because of this credence.

The existence of polytheism within religion may also create some doubts as to how can there be different theories and different stories being told from different sacred texts, this may completely disprove the whole actuality of God itself. Religion was originally developed for a man to understand his surroundings, about the sky, about the nature etc. but now it seems religion is being taken too far and too serious. What once was made just to understand the basics has now been turned into something to sacrifice your life for.
Some teachings from the holy text books such as the Bible are also highly contradictory as it claims to “love your neighbour” implying everyone around us is our neighbour to then stating “eye for an eye” which completely disregards the first quote… hm? The stories being told in the Quran, the Bible and other holy texts like The Bhagavad Gita about the creation and the evolution is also disproved by Science today so are sacred texts irrelevant as well? Fundamentalist believers can become extremist along with their attitude to certain aspects which is more accepted in today’s society such as homosexuality so should we be moving on with time leaving the old fashioned teachings in the past?
However, some may suggest religion shapes the way our society functions with the teachings that are being taught. No religion would ever teach about killing and hurting people so despite the multiple religions and regardless of the different faiths, maybe by believing in whichever god- may it be Allah, Jesus, Shiva, Buddha, they are all being taught of the similar things which form the basis of modern today so the teachings are still relevant. Having a belief towards a far greater superior power can also lead to one being less egoistical and conceited towards themselves as they believe there is someone up there greater than them, I know I do. People may also feel the security of after life if they follow the rules set by their God in order to go to Heaven or to have eternal life as Christians believe by confessing their sins, repenting and asking for absolution at the very end, they are awarded to go to heaven. Similar with Islam but to an extent. They are judged on the actions they take in their life and on the Day of Judgement, it is decided whether they’re to go to Jahannam(hell) or Jannat(heaven) so by following this conduct, this should encourage people to be aware of the actions they take in their lives.
People also seek for comfort and a meaning to life, some sort of purpose to live. If all else fails, people turn to God for guidance, for love. I’m sure in your time you wished some position, some circumstances you were under were different and better, did you ever wish there was someone out there who could ‘magically’ make it better? I mean that’s it though isn’t it, people NEED God.